Today's Sports

Game Day USA is pleased to announce that David Smith from Ghent was nationally selected to participate in the Junior All-American Games Fueled by Gatorade at the Baltimore Orioles Spring Training Complex Nov. 25-27.

The event will feature top baseball athletes of various ages from all 50 states. Game Day USA, the organizer of the event, is a sports event management firm based in Naperville, Ill., that recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary, and operates more than 250 baseball and softball events annually.

New Carroll County head baseball coach Kevin Goins has had a wild couple of weeks as the coaching job came out of nowhere. Carroll County had hired Levi Bristow before he resigned to take the same position at Oldham County High School. Goins said he had been a finalist in both of those coaching searches.

Hunter Cantwell has followed his heart and found a new home in high school athletics as he was introduced as the new Carroll County head football coach Nov. 18 replacing Lee Downey who resigned Nov. 7.

As a former NFL and University of Louisville quarterback, Cantwell could have found a coaching job at the college or professional levels. “At the upper levels coaching is business,” Cantrell said. “At the high school level you are developing young men.”

After going down in Carroll County High School baseball history as one of the team’s best pitchers, Zakk Hicks has now been recognized for his accomplishments statewide, making the state record books for most strikeouts per game in a season. Hicks ranks 11th on the list, averaging 12.7 strikeouts per game his senior year in 2015.

Carroll County High School baseball alum Justin Ray takes pride in not striking out and finding ways to get on base. The four-year varsity starter excelled at both of these during his career with the Panthers and now has his name in the state record books to show for it.

Justin ranks 20th in highest season batting average, hitting .566 during his senior year last season. He was 43 for 76 at the plate. The minimum requirements for this ranking is to hit at least .550 in a minimum of 50 at-bats.

After his junior season, David Marshall had broken all of the Carroll County High School scoring records and set his sights on the state records. He worked all the way up to 14th, finishing his high school career this fall with 102 goals. The minimum number to make the list is 80. He also tied his own state record for most goals scored in a game with six. The games were against Gallatin County junior year and against Henry County senior year.

An unselfish player and a strong leader, Guillermo Cruz has learned how to play to his strengths in order to succeed–both as an individual player and for his team. His great vision on the field, knowledge of the game and unspoken connection with Carroll County High School career scoring leader David Marshall helped him become the school’s career assist leader. He finished his senior season with 11 assists, adding to his career total of 48, ranking him 14th in the state record books.

There’s more to stealing bases than just being fast. Talk to Carroll County head coach Jimmy Ray and he will say you also need to be aggressive and read pitchers well–two characteristics CCHS 2014 alum Jacob Wise had.

But he was also fast.

“He was zero to full speed in a couple steps,” Ray said.

More than two years after graduating, Jacob now finds himself stealing a slot in the state record books, as his 37 consecutive stolen bases from 2013-2014 is good enough for fifth on the list.

WILLIAMSBURG, KY–The University of the Cumberlands men's cross country team finished third, while two runners garnered all-conference recognition at the Mid-South Conference Championships Nov. 5, at Phil Moore Park. The Patriots top two runners punched their ticket to the NAIA Cross Country Nationals.

The Patriots were led by senior Samuel Beal (Beavercreek, Ohio) who would finish second overall in a time of 25:16.7, earning first team all-conference and a ticket to nationals.